


Another first

by mistressterably



Series: One offs - Doctor Who related [25]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-10
Updated: 2015-10-10
Packaged: 2018-04-25 16:14:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4967656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mistressterably/pseuds/mistressterably
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Here's a prompt fill from tumblr for @bygone-age</p><p>Could you do the first meeting between River Song and 12 (I've been half obsessed with the christmas special ever since it was announced River was coming back)? Could you also have River say what the famous "otter argument" was about!?! Thanks so much in advance!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Another first

The Doctor rounded the corner at a flat out run. Laser bolts flashed off the corridor walls, close to singeing his silver hair as he ducked down. As his pursuers began to catch up to him, more bolts of energy were blasting around him. Ahead of him was a doorway that appeared to have some sort of lock mechanism on it. One hand fishing into his jacket pocket found the handle of his sonic screwdriver to have it ready to use on the lock as he dove face forward thru the doorway, already spinning over onto his back as he began to slide. He had made it through the doorway and was about to point the sonic towards the lock mechanism when the square black metal muzzle of a thermal bolt gun pointed directly at him, between his eyes. His feet slid to a stop against leather-booted feet with a good inch high heel on them. His eyes moved upwards to take in a pair of khaki-coloured jodhpurs and a dull-white jacket that crossed over the woman’s chest to do up to the left shoulder. It was partially undone to reveal a stunningly white shirt underneath. Lifting further up, the smile that looked down on him was at once comforting to him but equally unsettling.

‘Hello, Sweetie. I’d tell you to duck but you’ve managed that already.’ The muzzle moved from between his eyes to a level trajectory over him and a series of 8 hissing thermal bolts flashed out followed by screams and curses of men. Reacting quickly , the Doctor pointed the sonic at the lock mechanism and the door soon hissed shut with a loud bang and click. 

Before he could get to his feet, she was kneeling down with a hand out. ‘I do say, Doctor, this is original. Not often you introduce me to your latest regeneration already flat on your back.’ Her laugh rang out in the corridor even as the Doctor swatted away her hand and backed away from her, still on his butt, to get to his own feet without her assistance. ‘And here I thought you were grumpy enough when you were younger. You’ve gone from scowling to positively terrorising with those eyebrows.’

Furiously, the Doctor was brushing dust from his jacket and trousers before he turned on River. ‘Just where do you think you have been! I called to you ages ago and only now do you turn up!’

Crossing her arms, River shot the Doctor a look. ‘Not only have you gotten old and owlish but you’ve gotten up on the wrong side of the bed too. I’m fine, Doctor. You seem to not be so much.’ 

‘I’ve just been chased after for the past hour by a screaming horde of mad men who seem to think I’ve been poaching from their sacred temple simply because I have a sonic screwdriver that reminds them of…’ The Doctor trailed off as River lifted her own sonic up in the air with a look of devilishness. ‘You! You’ve been nicking their sacred artifacts!’

‘I haven’t been nicking them! Please, Doctor. I am an archaeologist. I’ve only been recording them. They’re only upset that I was IN their sacred temple.’ River explained it away tritely despite the apoplectic look on the Doctor’s face. ‘Really, would I actually steal something like a sacred article?’

‘YES! And YOU HAVE!’ The Doctor barked at her, reaching roughly for the bag that rested against the corridor wall. Before River could grab it back from him, his hand was reaching in and pulling out a single codex. ‘THIS! Should be in their temple!’

‘It’s a forgery, Doctor! It’s not the real codex. That was stolen over a century ago by a rival tribe. They’ve both been bragging about having the real copy since. I decided to take the forgery for myself and get it out of the way. That way the two tribes will work out amongst themselves a way to share the original properly and stop fighting over it.’ River explained. 

The Doctor glared at her through his beetled brows, waving the codex at her face. ‘Do you honestly believe that by stealing what they feel to be the ACTUAL sacred codex that they would automatically work towards peace with the other tribe?’

‘Of course they will! Once the rest of my team help with the negotiations.’ River said easily. 

‘Your what??” The Doctor looked incredulously at her.

‘My team. They’re diplomatic specialists that work with pre-nuclear societies to help bring them to peaceful relations with their neighbours. They have an impressive track record. They just needed an extra hand this time to get the codex. Hence my being here. I think they just didn’t want to have to be more hands on than usual.’ River slipped her thermal bolt gun back into its holster.

‘Oh, naturally. An archaeologist who has weapons training and sharp shooter skills. Just a regular Indiana Jones in heels.’ 

‘Oooh.. you noticed!’ River pulled out a lipstick and slowly applied it as he rolled his eyes. ‘Anyway, I just have to deliver this and then my part is done. They’re handling the rest. Care to join me? We can catch up as we walk.’

‘If you think I’m going to be any way involved in this harebrained, crazy scheme of yours..’ The Doctor began but was blown forwards off his feet into River, falling to the floor heavily on top of her as the door behind them exploded towards them. 

‘Too late, Doctor! You are now!’ River said with much more enthusiasm than she ought to have as she grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. ‘Run!’ While River was off running first, it wasn’t long before the Doctor’s long legs were catching her up and it was him in the lead with her following. ‘Next left, Doctor! My team are down there!’ She shouted to him and then he was skidding to quickly head down the corridor she told him. As she rounded the corner, she collided into his back as he stood there with his arms raised. 

‘It’s alright! He’s with me!’ River cried out to her team. ‘Back off to the ship! We’ve got locals on our heels! Seal this corridor off now!’

The small group of similarly-armed men and women, were quick to respond to her commands and the Doctor found himself being grabbed roughly and hauled down yet another corridor. One of the men shouted at him, ‘In In In!’ Stumbling through the airlock of a starship that had been landed on the surface, the Doctor wasn’t able to stop until his way was blocked by a closed door. He imagined that the fellow who was stepping to the for now was some commander or other. A few quick punches on the keypad (which the Doctor easily memorized) and the door opened. As the group filed in, the door slid closed behind them and they all visibly relaxed.

‘Alright, Prof. What went wrong there?’ The Commander asked, rounding on River. 

‘The locals got a bit more anxious than we calculated they would get. We have the codex and that’s what matters.’ River said confidently. ‘Let’s get the ship up off the ground and head to the other tribe now.’

‘I don’t think so,’ The Doctor said. ‘My TARDIS is back there. If you could just let me off, then you can all just do whatever it is you think you ought to here. I just want out of this!’

‘What?’ River looked at him oddly, her hair shaking as she turned towards him. ‘Are you actually wanting to wash your hands of this and leave?’

He rested a hand on his chest. ‘I didn’t take the codex. I’m not the one thinking that it would be brilliant idea to bring two tribes together in some religiously motivated world peace. If that’s what you get your happy dance from, go crazy. I’m sure there’s an exploding supernova somewhere to impress me more.’ 

River’s mouth dropped open in surprise. ‘Seriously, Doctor?’ She was pulling out her worn journal. “Where exactly are we now?’

The Doctor reached out and knocked the journal from her hands onto the floor. ‘WE are nowhere!’ 

‘If you two are going to have some domestic disagreement can you go elsewhere?’ 

The two of them turned on the commander. “NO!’

‘River, don’t even begin to think that you’ve got some control over me. That ended ages ago.’

‘Oh?” River looked at him as if over a pair of glasses. ‘Oh! I know what this is about!’

‘I’m just not playing your little game this time.’ He leaned against the wall with his arms folded over his chest.

River laughed and stepped up to him, resting her hand on his arms. ‘You’re still sulking from that last go round.’

‘I am not!’ He humphed at her. 

‘I thought you had got over that when you left that otter colony!’ 

The Doctor cleared his throat. ‘Had nothing to do with it.’ 

River just kept laughing. ‘Oh, Sweetie! You are so precious when you get grumpy!’ She kissed him on the lips, surprising him and annoying him at the same time. ‘I was right when I said that the Great Intelligence had planted those memories in your head as he was destroyed back on Trenzalore. Why don’t you just admit it now!’

‘You were NOT right. Those weren’t planted memories. Those were echoes.’

‘But you still spent months floating on your backside amongst those otters.’ River chuckled and patted his cheek, making him blush. ‘Just admit that I was right and move on.’

Glaring at her through his cross eyebrows, he turned to the Commander. ‘Could I please just get off and leave you folks to your diplomatic silliness?’

The Commander looked to River who just nodded slightly. ‘Open the doors! Off you go. You’re on your own now.’

‘Thank you.’ The Doctor was mildly pleasant towards the Commander before turning to River. Instead of having a chance to bark at her again, she was up on her toes and kissing his lips softly.

‘Until next time, Sweetie. Take care.’ 

He nodded, ‘Next time.’ His stride quickly took him away from the starship and it was soon lifting off. Without looking back, and knowing he’d see River again, the Doctor focused on avoiding the locals and getting back to his TARDIS.


End file.
